About
About Akua Behavioral Health Inc Akua Mind and Body
Akua Mind Body’s Newport Beach campus is part of Akua Behavioral Health, an employee-owned California behavioral health organization with locations across Orange County, San Diego, Los Angeles County, and Sacramento. The Newport Beach site sits on SW Birch Street near John Wayne Airport and provides a full continuum of care that runs from medical detox through residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, outpatient, and virtual programming. This breadth lets patients move through stepped levels of care without changing providers.
Clinical work focuses on both mental health conditions and substance use disorders, with a particular emphasis on the intersection between them. Programs address depression, PTSD, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, codependency, OCD, and personality disorders alongside alcohol, opioid, and other substance use concerns. A dedicated LGBTQIA+ Pride track creates a specifically affirming clinical space for queer adults whose mental health and substance use needs are shaped by identity-specific stressors.
Leadership and clinical direction are visible across the organization. Vice Presidents Alicia Robinson (MSc, CADC-II) and Neely Weir (CADC-II) oversee operations for Akua North and Akua South respectively. Clinical Directors Mysty Higgins, LPCC, and Jacquelene Hernandez, LMFT, lead clinical teams across multiple sites. The organization’s employee-ownership model is a deliberate choice intended to align staff incentives with patient outcomes.
Akua holds Joint Commission accreditation, the leading independent quality standard for behavioral health programs. The organization also offers an Extended Care Program and virtual/online programming that allow patients to maintain continuity of care after stepping down from in-person treatment. Newport Beach’s proximity to the coast and the broader Orange County recovery community makes the site practical for both local residents and out-of-area patients.
- Joint Commission-accredited facility ensuring adherence to national medical detox standards
- 24-hour medical supervision for safe alcohol, opioid, and heroin withdrawal management
- Dual diagnosis specialization treating co-occurring mental health conditions during detox
- Licensed clinical directors (LPCC, LMFT) coordinating psychiatric and addiction medicine
- Akua Extended Care Program providing structured transition from detox to ongoing treatment